Lady Robin Hood
by Kuroi Koneko
Summary: ON HOLD, PENDING REVISION:: What if the story of 'Robin Hood' wasn't the way we were told it was? What if Robin Hood was really a Lady Robin Hood, and Lady or Maid Marrian was really a Lord Darien? What is their story?
1. Chapter One

**Lady Robin Hood**

**By Kuroi Koneko**

Story Preview: What if the story of 'Robin Hood' wasn't the way we were told it was? What if "Robin Hood" was really a Lady Robin Hood, and Lady (or Maid) Marrian was really a Lord Darien? What is their story . . . ?

**A.N.:** Please keep in mind that the setting for this story is around the 13th or 14th century or some other ancient time period with peasants, and lords/ladies, and monarchies (kings, queens, princes, and princess), and the likes of that. The characters' clothes are made of wool, or cotton, or some such fabric, when I mention trousers I do not mean jeans, I mean those old linen/cotton/wool type pants. K? Enjoy!

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**Chapter One**

"Hurry up, Serena!! You're going to make us late to the archery contest showing!!" a raven-haired young woman cried to a trailing blonde behind her. Her violet colored eyes flashed with annoyance. As a cool wind blew she flicked a long strand of dark black hair behind her ear and pulled her rose pink shawl around her tighter. Her shawl color complimented her dark hair and exotic skin complexion very well, as did the dark reddish-purple, peasant-styled gown she wore with a matching rose pink corset/bodice. The gown had long sleeves that extended a few inches further than her longest fingertips, but it was made of a lightweight and sheer lace type fabric. Not very warm for the current season, even if it was fashionable.

Beside the raven-haired young woman were three other women:

There was a tall amazon-looking woman with chocolate colored hair pulled up into a high ponytail, but still reaching down between her shoulder blades, and covered by a sheer light green veil. Her emerald eyes sparkled with amusement as she looked upon the first two women, her tall height making her the most noticeable one of the five-some group. Her color scheme seemed to be green and pink; a green hair veil, a spring green peasant-styled gown that reached to her ankles with a pink corset/bodice, and matching pink below-the-ankle boots. But there was a little orange mixed in with her colors - a pale (almost white) orange shawl she had wrapped around her shoulders to keep the cool autumn air from settling on her thin-layered wrist-long sleeved arms.

Beside the amazon-look-alike was a shorter, and strangely blue haired woman. Her hair was cut unusually short, about chin length in the back, just a little over her ears around the sides, and falling slightly over her eyebrows in the front. Her clothes' color theme was obviously blue - a long blue dress that fell in gently waves to her ankles, a pale blue corset/bodice, matching pale blue below-the-ankle boots, and a blue hair veil that matched her bodice and boots color. The only items on her that aren't blue are a beige shawl she too wore around her short-sleeves-covered shoulders and a 3-inch satin belt that matched her beige shawl. Her dark sapphire blue eyes looked on with part amusement, part frustration at both of the women, and part resignation, as if this was a common occurrence between the group.

On the other side of the raven-haired female was another blond, her long gold-blonde hair reaching to just below her knees even though part of it was put up into a large gold-colored bow. Her bright cornflower blue eyes just sparkled with amusement at everyone. Her color theme seemed to be light yellow and gold. A gold bow, a gold corset/bodice, a dress that flowed to her feet in several layers and various shades of yellow, her shoe color and style is unknown since they are not visible, and last she had on a dark gold shawl to keep the autumn chill off of her sleeveless arms.

"Oh, calm down, Raye. You'll give yourself a heart attack if you keep this up!" the blonde haired girl said to the raven-haired one.

"And don't forget to breathe! I'm not going to carry you to the show. I don't care how strong all of you think I am, you are just too heavy Raye!" the brunette chuckled.

"Mina, I will not give myself a heart attack," the raven girl, Raye, said to bubbly blonde, "and Lita, I AM BREATHING!!" she yelled at the laughing brunette.

"Please, will you three try not to yell today? I would like to enjoy myself at this event since it only comes around once a year. That, and I would like to go at least one day with out getting a large headache after being in all of your presence for less than two hours. So please, try to behave?" the blue haired girl asked softly.

"Sorry, Amy, we'll try to behave today. And I'd like to enjoy myself at the carnival too," the lagging blonde said to the blue haired girl. As the four women were talking - more like arguing - amongst themselves the blonde in question had caught up to them.

"Oh Serena, look at you! If you had actually been earlier today you wouldn't look like such a mess!" Raye scolded the blonde, Serena. It was true though. Serena's long gold-blonde hair, though put up into an odd style of two buns on either side of her head with the rest of her hair streaming down from them to mid-calf, was tangled and obviously windblown with bits of leaves and dirt in it. Her once strawberry pink gown had little spots of mud lining the bottom of it that was closest to the ground, and her silver bodice was off-center and slightly crooked. Her boots, in the same style as the other girls', were now a mud brown color when they were once a presumably silver color - presumable because spots of silver could be seen around the tops of them. The gown's long sleeves were open and flowing in the passing breeze, waiting to be buttoned up to keep out the cold. Her shawl, which had strawberry pink and silver swirl designs on it, had been wrapped around Serena's neck like a very long scarf. However it looked ridiculous because it was neither the right shape nor the right size since it was thick, triangular, and wide instead of long, narrow, and rectangular as a proper scarf should be.

"Well, it's not like she run back home and change. We'll just have to do our best to straighten her up now, that's all," the ever-bubbly Mina replied. "And she doesn't look that bad. It's not going to kill her at any rate."

"Yes, Mina has a point. Let's just get to the contest first and then handle Serena's appearance, alright Raye?" Lita agreed, looking down at her favorite and best friend with kindness and slight traces of amusement in her eyes.

Serena smiled gratefully at her friends.

With all the five girls together in a group you could see similarities among them. They all appeared to be around the ages of 16, they all wore the same style of gowns (peasant styled) and foot wear (below-the-ankle boots), their gowns were made of an obviously high-quality and expensive fabric, and if that were not enough to show you that they were obviously women of wealthy backgrounds, then the earrings they wore would have. Each girl wore a single gemstone stud earrings, but each wore a different gem: Lita wore a pair of Emerald studs, Mina wore a pair of yellow Topaz studs, Amy wore a Sapphire studs, Raye wore Ruby studs, and Serena wore studs made of Moonstone (a silvery colored gemstone). Only people of wealth could afford such gems, and by wearing their 'trademark' gemstones it marked the group of young women as ladies of wealth.

Suddenly everyone started rushing to afore said carnival as the sound of trumpets were heard in the distance.

"Oh no!!" all five girls cried, and in a flash they were all running toward the gates, well, as fast as they could run in long-skirted dresses anyway.

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"Darien! Darien, come on! You're up next!" a man cried. His long white haired was hanging loosely around his shoulders and hung down to the middle of his back. He looked around the tents in the area, his ice-blue eyes worried and frantic. He walked through puddles of mud and dirty water alike with no care for his once highly-polished leather boots, which were now splattered with mud halfway to the top of their knee high rims. He appeared to give no notice to his disorderly appearance - his rumpled black trousers, his untucked and untied (at the neck) pale yellow shirt, and even his hair was slightly tangled. Despite his attire's 'rumpled' looks, he was clean-shaven, recently bathed (as was apparent by his still slightly dampened hair), and of a wealthy background which you could tell by the quality of his clothes and boots.

The young man, who appeared to be no older than 17, rushed up to another man in a similar state of dress, but was clearly less panic stricken.

"Nephrite! Nephrite, have you seen Darien anywhere? He's up next in the archery competition and I can't find him anywhere!" the white haired man cried in a strained voice.

The man called Nephrite, who also appeared to be no older than 17, simply shrugged his shoulders while flicking a strand of his long auburn (reddish-brown) hair behind him, the hair falling to a bit further than mid-back. His pale green shirt and dark brown trousers were not as crumpled as the other man's, and his knee high leather boots weren't as mud-splattered, but it seemed a bit apparent that he had been doing some kind of work.

"No, Kunzite, I haven't seen Darien anywhere recently. Have you checked the archery range? He could be there already," Nephrite replied, his voice a deep baritone, it's velvet tone soothing and calming Kunzite visibly.

"You are right, I haven't checked there yet. It is quite possible he is present already. Thank you Nephrite." Kunzite's voice had returned to it's natural baritone pitch, just a bit deeper than Nephrite's, and no longer strained and high(er) pitched. "Why don't you come join me and the others at the field? We were going to cheer Dare on. Not that he needs it, of course," Kunzite chuckled.

"Very well, then. Let's go before we can't find any good viewing seats though." Nephrite quickly started to walk off in the direction of the archery fields before he heard Kunzite's reply. When he heard it though, he slowed down his pace.

"Easy, Neph. Jadeite and Zoisyte are saving us spots. They have a really good vantage point too. They wouldn't tell me how they got the spot though," Kunzite shouted after him, chuckling a bit as he trotted to catch up to his friend and remembered what his other two friends had replied to his question.

flashback

_"How on earth did you get this spot? It has a fabulous view!"_

_The two blonde men looked at each other before the one with his long light-blonde hair in a ponytail replied,_

_"Now, Kunzite, if we gave away all of our secrets where would we be?"_

_"You aren't going to tell me are you, Zoisyte?" Kunzite answered back, giving a mock glare to the other man._

_"Of course he's not, Kunzite! You're not having difficulty understanding subtleties, are you?!" the man with short honey-blonde hair replied in jest and mock fear. "Quick, Zoi, I think Kunzite needs a check up! The man with perfect understanding of everything needs - "_

_"Jadeite!" Kunzite yelled, cutting off whatever the man was going to say._

end flashback

Nephrite followed Kunzite as he walked to the spot where two other young men - who also looked no older than 17 years old - were saving spots to watch the contest.

"Hey Neph! You and Kunz are just in time to watch Darien go and take his first shot!" Jadeite told the two new arrivals.

"See Kunzite, I told you he would be here. You had nothing to worry about." Nephrite glanced at the obviously relieved Kunzite as the four men sat down to watch the commencing of the archery competition.

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**That's it folks! The end of Chapter One of "Lady Robin Hood". So what did ya think of it? Leave a review and tell me! Please?**

**In the next chapter: The archery competition begins and trouble begins to brew as an unexpected, uninvited, and unwanted 'guest' arrives at the carnival.**

**Find out what happens in the second chapter of "Lady Robin Hood"!!**

**I don't actually know what Moonstone looks likes, so just imagine that it looks silver, kinda like the Silver Imperium Crystal, K?**


	2. Chapter Two

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Lady Robin Hood

By Kuroi Koneko

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A.N. – THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!! Thank you so much to everyone who gave me such great reviews. I was just telling my brother that when I saw and read the reviews I was literally jumping and bouncing around my room in joy and giddiness. Ya know what he said to me? He said, "F . . r . . e . . a. . . k . . ." Wasn't that mean? I don't think I'm a freak. *pouts* Oh well, it's not like I can change his mind.

As I have and always will say, special thanx go out to Barbi-PiXi, The Firefaery, KaKGurlie, Kiwi, and BonnieChan. 

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On a special note to BonnieChan: I would be THRILLED to have you put my story up on your future site. In response to the review you posted up for _From Forgotten Legends_ (thank you so much for R&R-ing it!) I have indeed read Tamora Pierce's stories. I absolutely LOVE her "Protector of the Small", "The Magic Circle", and her new "The Circle Opens" quartets. I agree with you that she is such an amazing writer. And in fact, I have gotten some ideas for the different Realms and immortals from her "Immortals" series. Thanx though!

To everyone who has read, reviewed or done both, I dedicate this chapter to all of you.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or the original story of Robin Hood. Please don't sue me for borrowing them, I'm trying to save up money for Christmas presents.

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Chapter Two

As the group of five girls rushed to the gates of the carnival they ran into another group of people, literally. Fortunately for them, the girls knew the other group and no one was angry.

"Sorry, sorry! We didn't see you guys there," Serena gushed out. Her face tinted pink as she recognized the very wealthy women she and her friends had just crashed into.

"It is quite all right, Serena. We were in just as much of a hurry as all of you were and weren't watching our paths either," a lady replied, her knee length dark hair seemingly flowing in an imaginary breeze which brought out the unusual emerald green highlights of her hair. She smoothed out her deep garnet red dress with slender-fingered hands. The deep color of her gown (in the same style as her companions' and the other girls' gowns) complimented her brown tanned skin and matched her deep garnet colored eyes. Unlike Serena's and the others' two-toned gowns, her dress was solid garnet; from the corset/bodice and fabric under it, to the layers of silk under the skirt as seen by the fashionable slit on the skirt's front. On her ears was a pair of garnet stud earrings, the same deep red color as her mysterious eyes. Wrapped around her shoulders was a black shawl that matched the veil she wore over hair to keep the to of the strands from tangling in the wind.

"Yeah, Kitten, don't worry about it." A young woman with shoulder length sandy-blonde hair winked at Serena, her dark blue eyes sparkling with mischief. Her trim yet tall figure was encased in a dark sapphire blue gown with a dark gold colored corset/bodice. The dark blue of the gown highlighted her lightly tanned complexion and offset her hair and eye colors. Her hair was devoid of a hair veil. Instead it was flowing freely across her shoulders and face, dancing every time the wind kicked up. However, she did have around her shoulders a shawl of the same dark gold color as her corset/bodice.

"Setsuna," the girls all nodded toward the dark green haired woman, "Alex," they nodded at the sandy-blonde woman, "Michelle, Hotaru," they nodded to the remaining women, one with a pale green hair color and then one with black hair that appeared to have a deep purple tint to it.

"It's so nice to see the four of you! Hotaru, how has your health been lately? I last heard you had caught a cold," Amy asked politely of the purple haired girl.

The girl, Hotaru, appeared to be about the same age as Serena and the others (16) while her companions appeared to be about a year older. Hotaru turned towards Amy, her deep amethyst colored dress rustling as she moved. She looked at the young woman with her dark purple eyes for a moment before she replied, pulling her white shawl tighter around her shoulders,

"I've been doing better, thank you, Amy."

"Are you sure?" Mina asked with concern. "You still look a little pale."

"She's been doing better, Mina. And surely you remember that she has a naturally pale complexion? No matter how long she spends in that garden, she never seems to soak up the sunlight, unlike her plants," the pale green haired woman replied, amusement rippling through her tone. She casually flicked a strand of pale green hair behind her shoulder, setting it to rest with the rest of its comrades at her mid-back. Her sea-green eyes reflected the amusement she inflected in her voice. As she smoothed out her all-turquoise colored gown she returned the question to the younger girls.

"How have all of you been? We don't get to see much of each other anymore, now that we have all moved to different parts of town."

All nine of the young women gave a slight bow of their heads as they remembered what it was like to see each other daily when they were younger.

*flashback*

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Nine little girls of various heights, ages, and hair colors all chased each other around a flower filled yard. Their childish laughter rang out and echoed off of the neighboring buildings, causing a group of older women to smile in happiness as they watched the children's antics.

*end flashback*

"Yes, it has been a while, hasn't it? Well, are you four here to watch the archery contest? We are, and I know we'd all love it if you joined us," Raye said to the group.

The four women looked at each other in surprise before turning to reply to Raye's question.

"Yes, we are. I'm must say I think I speak for all of us when I say we are very surprised though. Weren't the five of you going to enter? You certainly have the skills to beat any of the men here," Alex said, confusion and surprise lacing her tone as she gave a small frown.

"I agree, the five of you are probably the best archers in Nottingham, so why haven't you entered?" Hotaru asked.

"That mean old sheriff, that's why!" Raye said in a huff of remembered anger. 

" 'Ladies such as yourselves are delicate creatures that shouldn't be wanting – let alone allowed – to practice a man's art like archer! Now why don't you all go back home to your mothers and learn your proper places?' " Serena did a near-perfect imitation of the Sheriff, Diamond. Her voice was laced with scorn, not only mimicking what the Sheriff had said, but also with her own scorn for the sheriff himself.

"Oh I was so mad! If he wasn't the Sheriff I swear I would have shown him what this 'Lady' could _really_ do!" Lita growled in a low tone.

As the girls were conversing they had slowly made their way towards the entrance gates. A quick smile at the guards, plus a few winks from the more flirtatious girls of the group to the dubbed 'cuter' guards, and they easily got in without having to pay the "necessary" fees. These "necessary" fees were supposedly spent towards better conditions for the towns, but everyone knew that their hard-earned tax money went directly towards King John's hoarded treasury. Anyway, as the group of nine hurried as fast as was proper to the archery site they were rewarded when they saw that only one man had gone. He had just finished, too. 

The girls looked at the other men in the line-up and most of the girls instantly started to drool over them.

"Ooohhh! Look at the one with that long white hair! He is _so_ dreamy!"

"If he has white hair, doesn't that mean that he is old, Mina?" Alex teased.

"Well look for yourself Alex! He's no older than you are I'd wager, he just happens to have white hair. It's probably from all the sun he gets – "

"How do you know that?"

" – Because he has a tan."

"He's cute, I guess, but the one with that long auburn hair is definitely cuter!"

"No way, Lita! The one with the short blonde is definitely the cutest."

"I like the one with long blonde hair in a ponytail, myself."

"AMY! You actually LIKE a guy!" all the girls cried. Poor Amy turned a red that matched Setsuna's gown and mumbled something that sounded like 'keep my mouth shut'. 

"I think that they are all very handsome men, but none of them catch my eye," Setsuna added. Alex, Hotaru, and Michelle concurred with Setsuna's statement.

"How about you, Kitten? See any men that catch your fancy yet?" Alex teased Serena. All the girls knew full well that Serena's parents (specifically her father) were trying to push her into getting married. Serena was fully against the idea of marrying for any other reason than love. She was constantly proclaiming that any man who could best her in a sport she chose would be the man she might marry. Since many men were after her hand in marriage they often overlooked the 'might' part, not that it mattered since none of them had even come close to besting her.

"Alex you know full well that I'll never choose a husband based on looks alone-"

"Not that it would hurt to have a handsome husband," Mina butted in.

"- but on whether he is good enough for me. And that I decide in a manner of my own device," Serena finished, completely ignoring the statement Mina had made.

Suddenly an unwanted, unpleasant, and uninvited voice broke through the girls' conversation, 

"Well, then I just may be the one to prove myself worthy of you, my dear Lady Serena," purred the voice of none other than the Sheriff himself, Diamond.

The girls quickly masked their matching expressions of disgust before turning around to face the speaker. None of them liked the Sheriff for several reasons. One, he was a cold-hearted man. Two, he was the king's right hand man in Nottingham. Three, it was because of his decreed increase in taxes that many of the families in the town were poor (many of the families had been their friends). And four, he was after Serena for three only reasons: her undeniable beauty, her family's wealth and influence, and she was the only woman who had ever refused him in any manner before.

"Hello, Diamond. What a surprise, I wasn't expecting to see you here. Are you looking for new recruits?" Serena said in a forced tone of pleasantness. Her smile was clearly strained but Diamond took no notice of it as he attempted to get closer to Serena.

"No, actually, I'm not. Rubeus has entered the contest and I came to watch him win it."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that, Sheriff Diamond. That young _gentleman_," Alex stressed the word 'gentleman' to subtly show her opinion that Diamond was not one, "has just beaten Rubeus's score," she finished as she casually maneuvered Serena out of Diamond's reach and range. She gave a slight smile as Diamond frowned at the move and Serena gave a small smile of thanks.

It was true. Rubeus was apparently cocky enough to think that he didn't need to concentrate in order to win, all his marks reflecting this attitude, as they were two levels outside the bulls-eye. Thus, when an ebony-haired young man came up to aim, he got all of his arrows within the bulls-eye's ring, but not on it. The young man was the last to go in the first round, and the judges decided to take a break before beginning the second round.

When Diamond saw what had happened his face darkened with an anger infused scowl. His voice was tight, clipped and strained as he excused himself from the group and stormed off to yell at his right hand man, Rubeus.

"Thank goodness that hideous man left! I really cannot stand his presence!" Mina cried in disgust once Diamond was out of earshot.

"I know, and what's worse is that lately he's been trying to get me alone. I don't know whether he would try something or if he just plans on marrying me by default through ruining my reputation," Serena shuddered, just the thought of the _possibility_ to have marry Diamond was enough to give her the chills.

"You know, Serena, that gentleman Alex was speaking of before was actually quite good," Hotaru slyly mentioned to her friend.

"Oh? I wouldn't know, I wasn't paying any attention to the contest since I was focusing on trying to stay out of Diamond's range," Serena replied flippantly.

"Well that's a pity," a deep voice said behind the group of women.

All the women gave a little squeak and a jump. They hadn't expected anyone to be behind them let alone listening in on their conversation. Although they didn't recognize the voice, it would be disastrous for them if it happened to be one of Diamond's men. As it turned out, it wasn't one of Diamond's men, but the man (and the men the girls were drooling over) they had just been talking about!!

"Well, hello! I'm Mina, and these are my friends Raye, Amy, Lita, Serena, Michelle, Alexandria, Setsuna, and Hotaru," Mina chirped as she pointed to each of the girls in turn. Her eyes were glued on the white haired man she had been admiring from before, although her voice was directed at the young ebony haired man who had spoken. "Aren't you gentlemen going to introduce yourselves?"

"Of course! Where are my manners?" the man replied. "My name is Darien Shields, and these are my closest and most trusted friends Kunzite," he pointed to the white haired man, "Jadeite," the short-haired blonde, "Nephrite," the auburn, "and last but not least, Zoisyte," the long-haired blonde. All of the girls gave a little curtsy in greeting.

"Pleasure to meet you," the greeted in unison. The men stared at them in a state of slight shock. The girls just giggled at their expressions.

"Do all of you practice doing that?" Jadeite asked. He was smacked in the back of his head by Nephrite for his question, even though the other four men wanted to know the same thing.

"No, actually, we don't. It's just a habit we seem to have picked up over the years that we've known each other."

Just then the call for all the archers to prepare for the second round was given, and the men gave their good-byes. Just as they were about to leave however, Darien turned around, grabbed Serena's hand, said, "Maybe you will watch this time, my lady?" gave her hand a quick kiss, and then walked away towards his companions. All before Serena had a chance to react.

"Well, that was interesting," Lita commented slyly, watching as Serena's face turned cherry pink.

"Very," Michelle agreed.

"Hey, hey. Enough you lot. Leave Kitten alone and go watch the archers." Alex gave the others a glare as she pulled Serena into a one-armed hug. Then she steered her towards their previous viewing location so they could continue watching the rest of the contest.

(I'm going to skip the details of the carnival and just give you a quick summary of it for all of you since I'm too lazy to spend all the time writing it out. K?)

The girls watched as the contest moved into it's third, and then final (fourth) round, cheering on the five men they had met before and cheering even louder as all of them made it to the final round. Diamond's right hand man, Rubeus, had only made it to the second round where his luck had apparently run out; he missed the center and hit the outer rings every time.

The final placing of the contest were as follows: Sir Thomas – seventh place, Sir Clansen – sixth place, Lord Zoisyte – fifth place, Lord Jadeite – fourth place, Lord Nephrite – third place, Lord Kunzite – second place, and Lord Darien – first place.

All of the girls were thrilled at the placing the men received. Although they would have gladly gone to congratulate them on their winnings, they realized the hour was getting late and they had to return to their respective homes. The girls walked until they had to part ways, all of them glad to have seen each other at the carnival's archery show. They were especially grateful to have not seen anymore of Diamond or his lackeys and made a promise to each other to meet again tomorrow for a picnic, to better reacquaint themselves and to catch up on what they had missed in each other's lives.

As they all parted ways, Mina and Serena walked together since their families were very close friends and had moved to the same area (they were neighbors). The two women talked of trivial things, of the archery show, and about the doings of the town. They walked in relative peace, not expecting in the slightest what was awaiting them in the shadows. Therefore, when the shadow-hidden visitor was revealed the girls were caught unaware and screamed– 

"Aahh!"

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*insert evil laughter* I deliberately left it as a cliffhanger so all of you would wait for the next chapter!!

Some comments on the characters & their descriptions before I get complaints on them. Michelle is Michiru (Neptune), Alexandria is shortened to Alex (for later story purposes) who is Amara in the anime and Haruka in the manga (Uranus), Setsuna is Trista in the anime (Pluto), and Hotaru is the same (Saturn). I have kept Setsuna and Hotaru's original Japanese names because 1) I like them better, and 2) I wanted to make them exotic (later on). Now, I know I said that Alex had shoulder length blonde hair – for the time being, she does. She cuts it to a 'guys' length later on.

Anyone with any other comments on the story so far, please either leave a review about it or EMAIL me, my email address should be working on my author ID page now, K?

Until next time!! 

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And please, don't forget to read my other stories!! I won't be posting another Chasing The Moon chapter until From Forgotten Legends gets two more reviews. Please??


	3. Chapter Three

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Lady Robin Hood

By Kuroi Koneko

**A.N.** - Well, I hope you readers enjoyed the first two chapters! Once again, if I didn't say it in the last chapter I'll say it now; I am so very _very_ sorry to the 5 people who had read and reviewed the first postings of this. Please don't be mad! I'll make it up by keeping this story up this time, promise! I had to take down the previous version because it was uploading the way I wanted it too. To new readers just joining me, Welcome to my retelling of the story of Robin Hood!

**Spooky Fyre** - Thank you for your review, and even the threat of emailing me to death! Do so! I need email, lots and lots of email!! I'll try to get up chapters as quick as possible just for you! ; )

**BonnieChan** - Yes, you did leave a review, but I had taken down the story and reposted it so I lost your first review. *sheepish grimace* Sorry about that!

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far: Spooky Fyre, Seeking Serenity, Mei, serena chiba, The Firefaery, JLSCORPIO78, Rosalyn (thanx for that sweet review!), and last but never least - starfury3000! Thanx all!!

**WARNING!!! THIS CHAPTER HAS SOME DEATH IN IT. Please be advised this is a more intensely emotional chapter.**

Now with that said and over with, on to chapter three!

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Recap: 

_They walked in relative peace, not expecting in the slightest what was awaiting them in the shadows. Therefore, when the shadow-hidden visitor was revealed the girls were caught unawares and screamed-_

"Aahh!!"

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A figure of tall stature and an obviously muscular build stepped out of the shadows. Its dark clothing had blended in, rendering it nearly invisible to anyone even within a foot of it. The top of its head gleamed in the pale half-moon light, revealing a bald top surrounded by hair on the sides. The color was indistinguishable in the evening light, as was the facial features since the person was in front of the moon.

"Cease! Calm yourselves, ladies, it is only me!" an elderly voice called out, attempting to soothe the girls. "I am most sorry, girls. It was not my intention to give you a scare, but I have been waiting for you two for a while."

"Oh! Friar! It is only you, thank the Heavens," Mina sighed in relief. She had been terrified that it might have been Diamond, or one of his men, come to kidnap them.

"Friar, if you had been waiting for so long, why did you not come looking for us? Surely you know us well enough that we would have gone to the carnival?" Serena asked in puzzlement. There was something not quite right here, and it bothered her not knowing what it was. A faint frown appeared on her lips as she noticed the Friar acting nervously. "Friar, what is wrong? Something is troubling you, I know it, especially since any other time you had been waiting for us after a while you would come looking. So what is different about this occasion? Come, come, now."

"Ah, Serena. Always so attuned to what others are feeling, aren't you. Yes, you are correct. Something _is_ troubling me, and it concerns the both of you - and possibly your other friends as well." The Friar took a deep breath, looked heavenward as he obviously sent up a prayer for something, and then spoke of the doings that he had both seen and heard with his own eyes and ears just a few short hours ago.

(story sequence (or flashback, whichever you prefer to call it now)

_"What on this earth could Lord Kevin want from me? It's been years since we last spoke, and nearly as long since his last confession at my church. And what could be so urgent as to call me out on a beautiful day as this, let alone _speak_ to me after so long an absence," the Friar mumbled to himself as he slowly trotted his way to the Lunans' household _(AN: that is Serena's family, Lord Kevin is her father)_._

The old friar was about to round the corner that would lead him directly to the front of the Lunan house when the sound of angry tones reached his ears. He stopped, and going against what he was taught all his live against doing, he eavesdropped on the hushed conversation. What he heard, and by whom_!, shocked and frightened him._

"Diamond I told you already! If you just give me two more days I can have the taxes, the interests, and_ the debts all repaid. I just need two more days!" It was Lord Kevin's voice. He sounded strained, stressed, and desperate._

But what is he desperate not to do? _The Friar wondered to himself. He learned the answer to that question shortly afterwards._

"My Lord Kevin," Diamond purred in a sinisterly sweet voice, "You know you really don't have to do that. All I ask if for Serena's hand in marriage, and I'll forget all about your debts and taxes until next collecting comes. It's a fair deal, wouldn't you say?" He smiled as he thought it truly was an offer Lord Kevin couldn't refuse. His smile widened, as he no doubt thought about his 'impending' marriage to the beautiful Lady Serena.

"NO!" Lord Kevin shouted. "I will not have my daughter and only child marry you. I had promised her she would marry the man she falls in love, and she has said nothing to me about being in love with you, Lord_ Diamond," Kevin stated with force. He stressed the 'Lord' part of Diamond's title, knowing he was not born into it nor had he earned. He made the title sound like the insult it was._

Diamond's features tightened in anger. His face slowly paled, and then turned red with barely repressed rage. 

"What did you just say?"

"You heard me Diamond, I refused your request for my daughter's hand in marriage," Kevin repeated. He stood up taller, his hand inching towards the sword at his side as he anticipated Diamond's reaction. He was, unfortunately, correct in his assumptions as Diamond quickly drew his own sword.

"HOW DARE YOU REFUSE ME!" Diamond bellowed in rage. He lunged towards Kevin so quickly that his opponent barely had any time to draw his sword. However, since Kevin was expecting this move, he was better prepared, and met Diamond in what quickly turned into a fierce fight -- to the death.

The Friar could do nothing but watch as the two men locked swords, managed a lucky hit of a fist or arm, and gave a nick of the sword, again and again. He could see that Lord Kevin, being the older of the two men, was starting to tire. Diamond realized this too, and he began an assault even fiercer than his first. By an unlucky turn of events, Kevin had been backing up to lessen the force of Diamond's blows when he tripped over a large crack in the road. As he fell down he lost his grip on his sword, his only means of defense and offense against Diamond's attacks. Diamond saw his chance and took it, killing the older man.

The Friar had to bite his tongue hard to keep from crying out over the cruel end of his friend of old. However, it became apparent that someone else didn't have as much control over the sound made.

As Diamond heard the gasp behind him, he quickly spun around, and without any hesitation - even after seeing whom it was - stabbed and killed Lady Ilene, Lord Kevin's wife.

At the site of Lady Ilene's death, the Friar could not contain the cry of sorrow and rage that pushed its way out of his mouth. The kind, gentle, caring Lady Ilene had never said a cruel word or done anything harsh without having an absolutely good reason - and even then those cases were few and far between. She was a good woman who was liked and loved by everyone in the town.

How could Diamond be so heartless?! _The Friar screamed in his mind. It was only when the man he spoke (or in this, thought) of spun around and locked eyes with the frightened friar did he realize that he spoke his thought aloud._

"Friar!" Diamond yelled. He tightened his facial features before visibly and obviously forcing himself to relax and appear less intimidating. He only succeeded in frightening the Friar even further.

"Friar, my friend! What brings you out here?" Diamond asked. His tone, although in some semblance of friendliness, had a sinister undertone to it.

The Friar began backing away, his eyes wide in fear. Fear of Diamond and his unpredictable wrath, fear for his own life.

"Nothing, milord. Lord Kevin called for me on a matter he claimed was most urgent, though he didn't specify," the Friar said fearfully. He was surprised that his voice was level, though his emotions were quite evident.

(end flashback or whatever)

"I am afraid I must admit that when I saw him advancing on me I stuttered a hasty good-bye, turned, and fled. There was murder in his eyes, and I very much doubt he'll stop for anything to get your hand, Lady Serena. And I am deeply sorrowful and shameful that I did nothing to stop the crime committed upon your parents." The Friar bowed his head, tears of shame and sadness running down his cheeks in glistening crystal paths as he remembered the recent past. The silent shaking and trembling of his shoulders also gave testimony to the grief that he held in his heart.

Serena could only stand in the middle of the walkway, her face frozen in a blank state of shock. As the honest friar's words finally began to sink in, a single crystalline tear slid from her sapphire blue eye and traveled down a cheek made pale from more than the cold and moon's light. Another tear followed in its wake as other comrades mimicked the scene on the opposite side of her face.

Like a crack in a dam that leaks and then breaks away, Serena was hit hard with the reality of her parents' deaths. She broke down sobbing, kneeling upon the cold ground. She beat it as though she was trying to inflict upon its indifferent hardness the injury and pain inside of her soul. Her hands were becoming raw and frozen from her incessant pounding, but she appeared not to notice. She probably didn't.

Mina, however, finally came out of her shock-induced trance and took notice of Serena's self-inflicting injury. She kneeled down next to the sobbing young woman and threw her arms around her. She hugged Serena close to her, not caring that her striking fists had turned on her now instead of the emotionless earth. She cared only that the force behind the fists was weakening even as Serena's sobbing intensified. As Mina looked upon the lost young woman in her arms her own heart started breaking even farther, and as the girl she had grown up with, her own look-alike, the girl she considered a sister, clung to her Mina's own tears dropped from her eyes and buried themselves in her friend's hair. Although she knew she was probably not as broken and devastated as Serena, Mina was just as heartbroken. She had considered the Lunans a second family - Lady Ilene was both a second mother and a surrogate aunt, and Lord Kevin was like a second father and a surrogate uncle. Her parents were very close friends with the Lunans; news of their deaths would hit them hard.

"Lady Mina," Friar whispered softly. He seemed both afraid and nervous, the sadness from the Lunans' deaths lingering in his eyes. "Lady Mina, I wish to cause no further grief this night, but," he took a steadying breath as he raised his head to look Mina in the eyes. "Lady Mina, did you know that your parents are Lady Serena's godparents?" When she nodded her affirmation he continued. "So did Diamond. When I had stopped running I suddenly realized this. I knew that they would not consent to Diamond's request, should he also ask them," his voice lowered to a barely audible whisper over the sounds of Serena's insistent but quieter sobbing. "I rushed over to their manor as quickly as I could. I'm so sorry, Lady Mina, I was too late. Again," he lowered his voice even further, his eyes now focused on some indistinguishable point on the beaten ground.

Mina knew then, she knew _exactly_ how Serena must feel.

And then she, too, broke down and joined Serena in her inconsolant grieving.

The poor friar, the unfortunate bearer of world-shattering news, could only kneel before the two weeping girls. His silent prayers for the girls' future safety from harm and strength to overcome their pain going unnoticed by anyone he knew there were no words that could possibly comfort them. He eventually left them, after leaving them in the care of a trustworthy friend, and prepared himself to go into hiding.

He was the only witness to a crime that not even a king could escape unscathed from, and for that reason alone he was wanted dead by a person with an undoubtedly black heart.

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AN: I wanted to leave you hanging although I did have an idea for a more 'cheerful' ending. I thought that that would just ruin the mood I created though, thus the sad cliffhanger. I'll try to get my next chapter up sometime next week.

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And BTW - GO READ MY OTHER STUFF!! IT'S ACTUALLY GOOD!! Please?? *puppy dog eyes*


	4. Chapter Four

**Lady Robin Hood**

By Kuroi Koneko

**AN - **Thank you everyone for your reviews on my story so far!! I truly LOVE getting your responses. In fact, for every review I read I get even more inspiration and determination to write another chapter, so all of you are the reason why these are coming out so quickly!!

As I was looking over the chapters I realized just how quickly the story is moving! I hadn't intentionally planned it that way, but oh well. Things are going good so far and that's all I really care about. Well, that and having people like (and REVIEW) my stories. =)

As always, **thanx** to Kiwi, The Firefaery, Yumi-chan (thanx so much for the info on Miracle Girls!!), JLSCORPIO78, starfury3000, Lil'DevilBabe, Mei, and Cosmic Sailor Sun for reviewing. Am I keeping all of you on your toes?? I hope so.

**Special Thanks to:** Yumi-chan for reviewing my poetry. Thank you!!

**Special Note to all readers** - I must say I'm slightly disappointed. I have so many reviews for this story (YEAH! bounces off the walls in joy and adrenaline rush) but I only have one review for both _From Forgotten Legends _and _Chasing the Moon_ (which is another Sailor Moon story). Even though the CTM review was enthusiastic and the FFL one was sweet . . . only one?? I swear I'm going to weep!! Either that or I'll just stop posting chapters for this story until I get a few more reviews for my other stories. Honestly people, they **really** **are** **good**!! The FFL prologue drags you into the story, and CTM has some . . . different . . . views on things. So please please please please review them, or at least _read_ them? puppy dog eyes _Please_?

Well, anyway, I said that I would have a happier chapter (I think I did anyway) so this will be it. There will be more notes at the end of the chapter so please read them!

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**Chapter Four**

"So, my dear friend, has a young golden blonde haired beauty captured your exclusive attention this eve," the young Jadeite cooed slyly, "or are you just replaying the scenes from the archery contest again?" he finished in a slightly mocking and sarcastic tone. When he received no response he rolled his eyes and shoulders heavenward before settling down in a plush chair near the fireplace.

"Ahh, but Jed, you forget that there were two golden blondes. And what of the raven haired woman you were so obviously ogling?" Nephrite remarked in a slightly smug and superior tone. He gave a proud smirk as he saw his friend turn cherry red.

"And what of you, Neph? That brunette seemed to have caught your eye more than once in memory," Jadeite bit back caustically. He was only slightly peeved at having been caught staring at the beautiful raven. _She had a fire in her eyes. Oh what a spirit she must have!_

Now it was Nephrite's turn to blush at having been caught. He had no reply to Jadeite's remark and instead turned back to his contemplation of the heavens.

"Ah, but there appeared to be a young woman among all the lot that caught your eyes, my friends," Darien said softly. His gaze was still focused on the fire before him although Jed's earlier comment had been accurate. He didn't know what is was but that elusive blonde with the unique hairstyle constantly occupied his thoughts now. He listened with only half an indifferent ear to his companions' chatter about the women they had met at the fair. It appeared that with only one meeting all the men had become infatuated already. _My, my, how quickly the heart does work. Though what good will it do any of us since we return to Locksbury early tomorrow morn. Oh if we only didn't have to return so quickly to London would that we stay here to pursue these delightful feelings!_

The four men stopped their bickering at the sound of Darien's quiet sigh. They looked at each other and then at their closest friend. They knew that something must be bothering him to sigh like that.

"You know, Darien, we _could_ stay another day or two. It won't matter that much to the bankers, they know we're bound to be a while anyway," Kunzite mentioned casually. He leaned against the doorframe and examined the night outside through the lightly frosted window directly opposite him.

"He's right you know. I wouldn't mind staying here a few more days myself. It's peaceful, and we could all use a little revitalizing. The atmosphere here would be excellent (AN - boy they don't know **what** they'd be getting in to! Oops! Too much info give away . . . . ) and it would give us time to plan our actions for the meeting in London," Zoisyte stated thoughtfully. He seated himself in the chair opposite from Darien's and stared thoughtfully into the fire as well.

"And it wouldn't hurt to see those lovely ladies again either," Jadeite remarked jokingly. All he got were glares from the other three men and a whack on the head from Nephrite who was nearest him and felt it his duty to do such an act.

They all waited in silence for what seemed like an eternity before Darien spoke. "Do you all concur with this wish to stay in Nottingham for a few days longer?" he asked quietly. The others didn't hesitate for a second before agreeing with a much enthusiastic,

"YES!"

And so it was decided that the men, who had originally planned to stay only a single night in the little town of Nottingham, ended up staying the good part of a fortnight. And with that decision came more consequenting actions than they could have imagined.

* * *

The kind old friar had left the two recently orphaned girls in the home of a trusted friend - Setsuna. When the old friar had given Setsuna the more abridged version of the recent events she immediately took the girls in and agreed to take care of them until safer arrangements could be made. After the friar left the three woman Setsuna led the two blondes down into the cellar where she revealed a hidden room as luxurious as any you would find in a palace.

At any other time the two girls would have gone ballistic over the riches of the room, but with their worlds shattered and irreparable they took no interest in their majestic surroundings. Noticing the girls' indifferent behavior Setsuna became even more concerned about the girls and decided to call for reinforcements. She sent out several messengers - with the warning to avoid being seen by _anyone_ at all costs - to the homes of the other young women.

When all the others had heard of the events that had taken place while they were all happily laughing during the fair they immediately rushed over to Setsuna's home, thankful that her parents had taken a brief vacation and her 'nanny' slept like a rock. However, others in the town did not have such sleeping habits and they all had to be extremely cautious when traveling in the dead of night to Setsuna's.

The other six girls eventually made it to their destination with only a few false scares - mostly because of cats making noises during catfights and such. They all sat down in the hidden room with Serena, Mina, and Setsuna as Setsuna filled them in on the current events seeing how the two blondes were still in shock and denial. After hearing of the tragic tale of the now orphaned blondes, the six young women all vowed to watch after them and keep them away from Diamond and his men. Until Serena spoke.

"No," she whispered hoarsely. "No, I will not live the rest of my life in hiding. I will make Diamond _pay_ for what he has done," her voice, growing stronger with each word, was filled with determination and a near hate tone.

"But Serena, where will you live, _how_ will you live, what will you do?" Mina asked in concern. She had been slowly coming out of her shock, and at the sound of Serena's words she decided to voice her own thoughts. However, what Serena had said was vastly appealing to Mina at the moment, thoughts of watching Diamond die a slow and painful death in retribution to the crime against her parents dancing in her head.

"Papa-" Serena's voice broke at the word, and she took a few deep breaths to steady herself before continuing, " Papa taught me how to live in the woods. Everything. Hunting, hiding, sleeping arrangements, living arrangements, even how to survive the harsh seasons. I remember all of it, and I plan on making good use of that knowledge now. Besides, your homes would be the first places Diamond would go to look for me. I refuse to do anything that will put you or your families at risk because of me. I love you all far too dearly to put upon you the same fate as Mina and I have had laid upon us (AN - becoming orphans, for that lengthy and confusing statement =P ). But," Serena hesitated. She didn't want to impose upon her friends but she desperately needed some things first, and she was too scared to return to her home to get them. "I'll need some things first."

Setsuna was the first reply, her voice revealing her eagerness to help, "Anything Serena! Just name it."

"I agree."

"So do I."

"And I, too."

"Anything, Kitten, just name it."

All the women agreed that they'd get anything for Serena, all she need do was ask. Mina looked down at the floor before making her thoughts known.

"I wish to come with you," Mina's voice was so soft that Serena thought she imagined the comment. Her voice louder, Mina spoke again, "I wish to come."

Everyone but Serena stared at Mina in shock. Serena gave Mina a careful look before nodding her head in agreement.

"Very well. Your skills at living in the forest are nearly non-existent and rusty at best, but I could definitely use the companionship and your skills."

Now it was Serena's turn to be stared at in shock. Amy was the first to regain her voice and stated what all the others were thinking, but could not voice,

"Are you mad?"

Simple.

Serena and Mina contemplated the comment seriously, before looking at each other. Serena nodded her head, and at that signal Mina began to explain her - and Serena's - reasoning.

"No, we are not mad. At least not so far as we know," the two gave a little giggle, "And I _would_ be of good use to Serena. If you have already forgotten, I happen to be in nearly the same predicament as Serena - we are both orphans, and are both wanted albeit for different reasons. With the exceptions of all of you, I have no ties her to keep me back. Although _we_ - " Mina stressed the 'we' so the others would know that she WAS going, no matter what, "will be living in the forest, we do hope that all of us will remain close friends. There's - "

Mina was cut off as the seven other women lunged forward and swept the two blondes into a giant group hug. Their approval was given, and the bonds of friendship forged even tighter.

As the night progressed the nine females made plans about what the blondes would need in order to survive the coming winter.

Little did they know that they would be joining them.

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**And there I end my chapter! Only four pages this time. Sorry it's so short. I promise you a longer chapter (or two) in January.**

**Which reminds me. I won't be posting anymore chapters until after New Years as I won't be around ANY computers. sigh Oh well.**

**As always, don't forget to review!! And if I don't get at least ONE more review for my other two stories, _NO MORE CHAPTERS WILL BE POSTED!!_ I know, not much of a threat really, but it's all I can do to you. Please, just leave a review for them. They're decent stories, really.**

**Well, until next time!**


	5. Chapter Five

**Lady Robin Hood **

By Kuroi Koneko

**As always, special thanx go out to:** Kiwi, starfury3000 (no, I _don't_ plan on killing of the others' parents, I have a different idea in mind to get the others "out", but thanx for voicing your opinion it means a lot! =) ), carlto, The Firefaery (thanx for the compliment!), JLSCORPIO78, Tammi, Samantha, curli, and Cosmic Sailor Sun for reviewing!! I absolutely LOVE reading your reviews. Not to mention some of you have really great stories!

Would you believe, I have not yet read even _one_ review that said anything bad about my story?! I swear I'm in shock or something, I would have thought one person wouldn't have liked it (but I'm not complaining!!! ;) ).

I truly can't believe I'm doing this, but consider this as your holiday/winter/Christmas/whatever present. Now all of you know what **_I_** want, right? No? Well, I would like to have some reviews for my other two stories, as well as this one of course. Pretty please?? It's not hard, just click the little button that says 'Click to Submit Review' on the bottom of the screen and type in a few little words. Now do that for the other two stories I have (_From Forgotten Legends_ and _Chasing the Moon_ - which is another SM story I think you will all like). See? Not hard.

For everyone who reads my author notes, I give a big **extra** special thank you to all of you. I'd give you actually gifts, but I can't seem to get them through this dratted box if front of me. Oh well. Sorry. (That was a joke people. silence Oy, no one gets my humor, I blame it on my mother.)

Well, here it is, my holiday gift to all of my wonderful readers!!

**Happy Holidays everyone, and Happy New Year!!!**

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**Chapter Five**

After the nine women had gathered everything that Mina and Serena could use from the house they all set out towards the woods. As children they had all played frequently in Sherwood Forest, the woods surrounding the town of Nottingham (duh! Stupid me.) They were all grateful for this past experience now since they knew all of the forest's nooks, crannies, quirks, and perks. They probably knew the forest even better than the men who were constantly hunting there!

The nine of them walked a path not marked on the ground in any way, though the path seemed etched in the feet of all of them. They twisted and turned, seemed to circle back to the beginning only to wonder in yet another direction. They traveled deeper and deeper into the maze made up of leafless trees. The wind whistled and howled through the bare branches, the air turning colder with every passing blow, but still they wandered deeper. Just when it seemed as though they were going to reach the other side of the forest and forever leave Nottingham they stopped at a very large and ancient looking tree. It was apparent that they must truly be in the heart of Sherwood Forest, a place that no one had ever reportedly been to before. So how did the girls seem to know this place better than their own faces? The answer came soon enough.

"Wow," Lita whispered, "it's been ages since I was last here. It looks just as I remember it, if a bit more bare."

"Yeah, but in some way, it feels like we're coming home. Strange isn't it?" Serena asked softly, her voice tinted with slight confusion.

All the girls silently nodded their heads, sound seeming improper in this place. Each girl contemplated the old tree in front of them, unconsciously forming a circle around it as they remembered how they all first met - here, in this very spot.

* * *

"Sheriff!! Sheriff Diamond!" a redheaded man cried. His clothes were splattered with dried mud and covered in dark red stains. His blood red eyes held a darkness to them that made a person shiver when delving too deeply. He turned those eyes to the man he was addressing now, their dark depths filled with a combination of gleeful malice and fear. "Sheriff, sir, your scouts have returned and - "

"They've returned? Excellent! I look forward to finding the whereabouts of my dear little Serena," the other man replied. His eyes darkened to a deeper blue at the thought of Serena, his mind clouded with thoughts of lust. His white hair sparkled in the moonlight, it's bright gleam and his darkened eyes creating a startling - and somewhat frightening - contrast. He flicked a few falling strands away from his face impatiently as he waited for the redhead to continue his report. He absently noted that Rubeus, the redhead, seemed afraid. _Good,_ Diamond thought maliciously. _The more scared they are, the easier it is to get them to do my dirty work for me._

"Well, sir, you see . . ." Rubeus stuttered. "Um . . you see . . the scouts . . . they . . . um . . they . . . 't . . . .fi . . .ls . . . " Rubeus mumbled the last few words making them indistinguishable as he dropped his head and his voice.

"Excuse me? Would you mind repeating that?" Diamond asked in a sickly sweet and far too patient voice.

"Um . . the scouts . . . can't . . . find her," Rubeus let out in a final rush. He glanced up at Diamond's face before quickly dropping it again after seeing the look of disbelief followed by anger to outrage pass over it.

Diamond was far beyond angry, even outrage. He was so mad he was irrationally furious, which made him very unstable, unpredictable, and very, very dangerous. And Rubeus was the closest fury outlet. Before he even knew what hit him - literally - Rubeus found himself falling to the ground with the world spinning, the breath knocked out of him. Then his brain kicked in. His body senses were overloaded with pain as Diamond repeatedly, incessantly, and unremorsefully beat upon Rubeus.

Even after Rubeus had fallen unconscious after a few too many blows to the head (no he's not dead) Diamond still didn't let up his assault. He continued to pound the hapless Rubeus until the dawning sun began to announce it's coming arrival with hints of gray along the horizon. Diamond had either finally grown tired of his occupation or he had just not wanted to be found beating up his own right hand man. Whatever his reason, at the sign of dawn Diamond stopped and left to return to the tavern that served as his current place of residence, leaving Rubeus's bloody, beaten, and unconscious form in the middle of the walkway to be found by anyone.

As Diamond stalked towards the nearest tavern his insidious mind began to form plans on how to obtain Serena. _Soon,_ he thought, _soon you will be mine, Serena. You cannot hide or run forever, and you will slip up sooner or later. After all, you're only female._ As plans formulated in his mind a smirk crept along his lips, pulling the corners up into a twisted and nightmare-inducing smile. Had anyone been around to see his expression, they would have sworn on anything that he looked possessed by the Devil himself - and loved every minute of it.


	6. Chapter Six

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Lady Robin Hood

By Kuroi Koneko

All right everyone, I'm starting to make changes. This will most likely sound familiar. That's because I've taken the "intermissions" and the breaks in the 'flashback' chapters and basically squished them together. However, I have made a few minor changes. Nothing extremely noticeable though. Well, read and enjoy. The next part will be up tomorrow, and hopefully I'll have something new the day after.

Without further delay, the "new" chapter six!!

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Chapter Six

Diamond stalked toward the tavern with a grin that could send chills down the back of an iceberg before suddenly stopping in mid-stride. His grin deepened as a thought suddenly struck him. He paused a moment, his foot half raised in step, and followed the thought a little deeper. As a plan grew from this passing thought his grin turned diabolical and he immediately turned around before striding off in the opposite direction.

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"Darien, my friend! I'm telling you you're gone! You still have that silly star-struck look on your face!" a young short-haired blonde shouted good naturedly. His companion, an ebony-haired man who looked to be of the same age, turned and glared at him before responding curtly,

"Oh? And what of you, _my friend?_ This is the first time in over two _hours_ that you have finally managed to stop talking about 'your', and I quote, "raven-haired goddess with amethyst eyes"! And you say _I'm_ gone over a girl! You should speak of yourself, Jadeite!"

The other three men who sat around the table with them broke into gales of laughter at the sight of Jadeite's tomato red face - although whether that was because he was embarrassed, angry, or apparently holding his breath was undetermined. But whatever the reason for his new look it only caused the men to start laughing even harder. Finally, Jadeite could stand no more and stood up. When that did not appear to grab their attention he slammed down his mug of cold ale with a resounding thud that was easily heard over the din of the busy tavern. Well, that got their attention.

With a sudden gleam in his eye he looked at each of the other three men in turn before giving a sly smile. The men visibly cringed away when they caught sight of this smile. They all knew what it meant. And they didn't like it one little bit. Nope, not one little bit.

"So, what about the rest of you, eh?" He turned to his long white-haired companion, "Kunzite, you seemed to have your eye one that blonde in gold, didn't you now?" - twisting to glare at the blonde with his hair in a ponytail - "And _you_, Zoisyte, had your eye on the one in pale blue." Next he faced the young man with long auburn hair flowing in free waves down his shoulders, "Of course we shouldn't forget our good Nephrite now, that would be bad manners! Nephrite had his eye on the amazon in green and soft pink. And our Lord Darien!" he turned to the bowed ebony head "who had _his_ eye on that - what did you call her? a siren of an enchantress? - who looked quite charming in that unique hairstyle of hers!" After finishing his little monologue, Jadeite promptly sat down in his seat once again and stared smugly at the faces of his now red companions. Lifting his feet to rest the heels of his boots on the tabletop, Jadeite leaned back slightly in his chair as he smugly replied to ebony-haired Darien,

"And it was 'raven-haired beauty of amethyst eyes and with the body a goddess', my lord Darien."

The only response was a slight shaking of heads before all five men burst out laughing.

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In a dark alleyway in a part of Nottingham with a more questionable reputation two dark splotches seemed to stand out. It could be because they were darker than the surrounding shadows, it could be because they were moving every so often seemingly blending into one form and then separating into two. Or it could have been because of the low murmuring emanating from the darker forms.

The shorter of the two forms gave a muted high-pitched laugh before the larger one obviously hushed it. A sense of evil pervaded the alleyway that did not belong in such a quiet little town like Nottingham. A feeling of darkness, a slowly, subtly spreading taint lent an uneasy rub to the air, warning any late travelers to continue on their way and not linger in such a decaying place. Though the alley itself was quite new and relatively trash-free, the feeling that something was off permeated the atmosphere and was only enhanced when a dark voice laced with ill-intent whispered, "I'm sure this will most beneficial to us both . . . "

The wind gave a low whine as it rushed through the stained alley and out into the deserted streets, murmuring incoherently to the buildings' deafened walls of the dark deeds being plotted.

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"MURDER!! MURDER!!! LORD AND LADY LUNAM HAVE BEEN MURDERED!!! SOMEBODY FETCH THE SHERIFF!!!"

A young man looking to be in his early twenties rushed into the tavern, eyes wild with hidden terror, hair disheveled from running across the town to the only inhabited place that he knew of where people were still awake. He cried out his message a few more times to the shocked residents of the inn-tavern before tiredly collapsing into a nearby empty chair.

The five men at the table glanced at each other before turning to the exhausted man. As one began to open his mouth to speak the patrons of the tavern quickly sprang into action and rushed out the door in shock. He grabbed what was left of his ale and shoved it into the man's hand and sternly ordered him to drink. Despite the fact that he was several years his junior the older man (the messenger) gratefully downed the drink. Turning sad eyes to the men left at the table - and the tavern - he mumbled sorrowfully, 

"That poor lass, her parents murdered and for no apparent reason! Poor Lady Serena!" His only response was a set of five shocked eyes staring at him in five blank faces, mouths hanging open.

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I'm very sorry that this bit is so short, and I'm greatly depressed that the chapters I had to delete also made me delete their reviews. I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!! Please everyone, I had over 100 reviews up-to-date and I'm really hoping to get back there. So will you please take a few moments to review this? You can say anything!!


	7. Chapter Seven

**Lady Robin Hood**

**by Kuroi Koneko**

**Um, no author's notes today.**

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**Chapter Seven**

Finally, one of the five broke out of his stupefied daze to question the man for more details.

"Sir, are you sure that these people were murdered? How did you come upon them?" The slightly feminine Zoisyte paused and blushed. "I am sorry, I have completely forgotten my manners. I am Zoisyte, and my friends here are Darien, Kunzite, Nephrite, and Jadeite," he pointed to each in turn. "Who might you be?"

"The man lifted his head to give them a weak smile. His leaf-green eyes were dulled and his blonde hair was matted with dirt and sweat. When he spoke his voice was hoarse.

"I am Andrew, Andrew Lovetts. A pleasure to meet you, even if under such dismal circumstances."

The others finally came to their senses. All at once the four began asking about the Lady Serena. Andrew described Serena and her family to the best of his knowledge. He told the five of her blonde hair and sapphire eyes. He described her cheerful, feisty, and often stubborn nature. It wasn't until he mentioned her unique hairstyle that it finally clicked in their befuddled minds why the name and description sounded so familiar. At the stunned looks on their faces, Andrew inquired if they knew her?

"We met her and some other ladies who were with her earlier this day. If you do not mind my asking, how do you know Lady Serena?" Darien asked.

"My little sister, Mina, is one of her best friends and she is also my god sister," was the reply. "I have actually come from London, where I go to school, to visit my family here. The house is actually a block away from the Lunam's, but the Lunam's is passed first. I found their bodies just outside the gates. They - they were already stone cold, with very large sword wounds to the chest." Tears slowly poured out of Andrew's pain-filled eyes to run silently down his cheeks. He stared dully into the half-empty mug of ale that rested limply inbetween his hands.

It was Jadeite who gently rested a hand on Andrew's shoulder in a solemn gesture of comfort. Andrew did not acknowledge the gesture but continued to stare blankly into his mug. The eerie quietness of the once rambunctious tavern grew heavy as each man became lost in his own thoughts. The nearly silent door opened with a soft scratching sound but no one noticed the solitary figure until he was right in front of them, clearing his throat.

"Master Andrew, sir, there's been, uh, another discovery, sir," the nervous man mumbled. When he wasn't running a hand through his sparse salt-and-pepper hair his already threadbare beaten cap was being wrung in nervous hands. His eyes darted anxiously from Andrew's face to the various gentlemen before staring at the floor again.

Andrew raised his eyes to star at the fidgeting man. "Why am I being told this?" His face showed a growing sense of unease settling upon him.

"Well, uh, because sir, it's your parents. Someone was sent to tell the Lovetts, seeing how close the two families were, and found them . . . "

Andrew could only stare at the man so it was the seemingly impassive Kunzite who dared ask, "And . . ?"

"And . . . uh . . . well, they were found murdered too."

Six faces stared at the man in shock.

Andrew stared at the messenger blankly, his mind unable to fully comprehend what he was just told.

"My . . . parents . . . were murdered?" The messenger nodded dumbly. Andrew suddenly became animated. "My sister!? What about my sister! Where was Mina? Where IS Mina?! Is she all right?! Where is she?!" he started rambling, half raised out of his chair and his voice rising with every word. "PLEASE, where is my SISTER?!" he yelled desperately.

The five men he was sitting with finally snapped out of their shock at this final outburst. They all turned to look at the messenger who became very pale. His sheet white skin turned ashen gray as he struggled to find what to say.

"I'm sorry, Lord Andrew, she ...uh ... she was nowhere ... we couldn't ... no one knows where she is, sir." The messenger stumbled over the words, his thoughts obviously running faster than his mouth.

Andrew was deadly silent, his expression strange and unreadable. He slowly sat back down in his chair, propped his elbows on the table, and rested his chin in the arch made by his intertwined fingers. He closed his eyes as he said, "Then she is most likely still alive. Thank God."

The five men turned to Andrew after his sudden change in attitude. Kunzite stared at him with an expression close to shock.

"How do you know?" he asked.

Andrew opened his eyes, his leaf-green eyes blank and yet full of intense, indefinable emotions. He gazed steadily at Kunzite, his reply quiet but easily heard in the silent tavern,

"Because if Lady Serena hasn't been found either, then Mina is with her; and when those two are together, nothing can stop them." He paused, closing his eyes again and chuckling. "And if those two are together then it's a good bet that the rest of the gang is with them right now too."

To be continued ...


	8. Chapter Eight

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Lady Robin Hood

Chapter 8

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THANK YOU to everyone who have been so patiently awaiting this chapter. I don't quite like how it turned out, but I'll do revisions and whatnots when the story is completed. YES, I AM going to finish this. Please be patient, but it WILL GO ON TO THE END. I will NEVER quit on a story once I start posting it.

Just so everyone knows, I have absolutely **no idea** on how to go about making a "hidden treehouse" or how to build a treehouse in the first place. Details may be a bit exaggerated and updates a bit slow or short because I'm gonna try to do some research to make accurate descriptions for you.

I'm also terribly sorry that this is so late in coming out, but I said to myself 'I'm getting this out on Friday no matter what!' So hopefully, it worked.

_Please, people, join my Mailing List? It makes update notices so much easier, it's free, and I'm gonna be posting previews for other various stories there first before (if ever) putting them here._

And now to the story.

Oh! I'm not sure if I ever mentioned this earlier, but as it is important to the story I should tell you, shouldn't I? Anyway, it is currently the end of summer and beginning of autumn, and since it normally never gets very warm for England's summers, that's why the weather is so cool.

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The ring of girls stared at the ancient tree for a bit longer, each lost in their own thoughts. Sometimes, one of them would absently glance around at the others before returning to her own thoughts, no one noticing that another would glance up and around just as she glanced down. It continued on for an indefinite time before one broke the silence. Her voice remained soft though, as if unwilling to shake off the spider silk that bound them with a hard blow of words.

"It's getting late, and it's becoming colder too. We should find a spot to settle into."

Slowly, glazed eyes clearing, the others looked up and nodded their assent. Alex gazed at the tree thoughtfully as Lita scanned the surrounding woods before they met the other's gaze, nodding in an unspoken agreement.

"This tree, and the ones surrounding it, could make interesting and useful living chambers," Lita said casually. She looked up into the oak's sturdy expansive limbs thoughtfully, almost absently. Noticing most of the incredulous looks she received, she sighed and remarked, "Just look, this tree is so old that it is thick, expansive, and so deep into the forest that we are the only ones who have ever been foolhardy enough to travel so far, right? Well, considering the many holes in the trunk and most branches, I'd say we would have a rather easy time of hollowing some of it out; it's thick enough to hold at least two people comfortable, tall enough to be three stories! and still have some head room. The branches are as wide as those fish barrels - and I'm sure they would have no problem supporting a few of us standing all together on them - and they reach out to the surrounding trees, even if there are a few gaps, they're easy enough to leap safely! We could most likely build some small single rooms around, if not inside, them and still have access to all this oak. We could make rope bridges connecting the various trees, and I can tell that some of these trees are still thick enough at the top to be supportive while still being hidden from ground-sight even when the leaves fall! And this spot isn't even _close_ to any roads, be they main or side or even hunter paths! There aren't even deer paths within a few hundred feet of here, and with humans 'moving in' I'm sure they will decrease in time." Lita turned away from the girls, eyeing the trees speculatively, her eyes bright and gleaming as her imagination took over. She absently stretched and rubbed her hands together.

"She's got a point, you know." Everyone's eyes swung over to Alex who was eyeing the ancient landmark while slowly walking its circumference. "It would make an excellent treehouse, as would the other surrounding trees." Her eyes gleamed as her lips twitched into a devious smirk. "Just think; we'd each have our own private bedroom, and this here," she patted the ancient tree, "could be a kind of gathering area. Three levels should be adequate: the bottom for storage, the midlevel for meetings, and the top as a sort of lounging area with a quite spectacular view I'm sure. We can gather plenty of building wood from what we have in the vicinity, rope we have in abundance in the village, metal works will be a bit harder to come by unfortunately." Her smirk darkened. "But I'm sure we'll think of something." She turned back around to face the others.

Setsuna sighed, startling the others with her abrupt sound. "This is all well and good, and I, for one, believe we should set to work as soon as suitable; however, where are Mina and Serena to stay this eve? and just how are we to go about this task?"

All eyes turned to Lita and Alex. The pair glanced at each other, nodded slightly, turned to face the questioning looks with dual serious expressions . . . and simultaneously shrugged indecisively.

Everyone promptly groaned before jumping on the duo who could not fend off the impromptu assault of their seven companions.

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In the back of the near empty tavern sat an unnoticed black-cloaked figure silently sipping his mug of ale. The dim lighting of the flickering torches did little to illuminate any helpful characteristics: the cloak covered the figure completely, but did little to hide the sturdy frame of the man, but covered up whatever clothes or weapons he had, his hands were encased in smoothed, dull black leather gloves that revealed nothing of their owner.

The figure had sat quietly when the first messenger appeared, and stilled when the second appeared, only to continue sipping silently after a moment as though nothing had made him pause. The men's conversation was quite audible now that there was no one else left to disrupt them. After hearing Andrew's last statement about his two sisters (1) before the direction turned to a different avenue, the man silently got up, left money for his ale and a tip, and left the tavern unnoticed.

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After an indefinite amount of time, when the seven relented and allowed the exhausted duo some momentary peace, they quickly decided where Mina and Serena would spend the next few days. It was argued over and over that this house had more hiding spaces, but that one had more less people living in it, and the other one was too close to other houses, etc. Each house had its advantages and disadvantages.

It was finally agreed upon that the two would stay in Alex's home because there were few people living in it and it was closest to the forest. It was best for it had the quickest escape route; should the Sheriff look for Serena, she could easily lose any pursuers in the forest. Everyone agreed that should the Sheriff come searching the houses of Serena's friends they would all meet here again.

Night began giving way to the rising Dawn and one by one the women left to return to their respective homes before they were missed. Later in the day Amy said she would slip over to Mina's and Serena's homes to collect some of their belongings in order to start preparing for the coming changes.

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A storm slowly began collecting its elements, the skies slowly - nearly imperceptibly - began to darken as the day progressed. Clouds hung in the heavens, their soft white puffs growing heavier as they slowly began their monopoly over the skies. Steel grays, ashy whites, dark charcoals, and faint spots of black slowly tainted the once calm white. Faint rumblings could be heard sporadically and many would jolt and look down the road, expecting to see some madly charging carriage approaching the town, only to find nothing but a hazy mist crawling along the dirt tracks through the town and forest road.

Shops began closing as the day darkened earlier than normal, shoppers and pedestrians quickening their pace to get indoors before the heavens unleashed their pent up frustrations. Doors were closed and bolted, shutters and windows slammed closed, children collected and brought in.

And then the storm broke loose.

Great torrents of rain fell, creating tiny craters in the beaten earth, churning, condensing, collecting, overflowing. The rains fell harder as a harsh wind began to whip the running droplets into slanted daggers. Tiny rivers began to streak down the roads joined by the leaping waterfalls as they cascaded from rooftops and plummeted down to the muddied currents.

The storm's hazy curtain made the dark and shuttered town appear like mirage: the image shifting and changing forms as each gust of wind made the rain curtain dance and jump. The dark and shuttered town seemed devoid of any life; a ghost town like those that lost travelers stumble upon only to return with tales of horrors about ghosts and the supernatural.

Only in one house, on the near edges of the town closest to the forest's edge, was a tiny light flickering. It was muted through the slightly ajar shutters, and the ray danced as an unseen wind twined about it. Inside were two people: one pacing back and forth with a scowl plastered on, glaring unseeingly at the carpet, while the other sat stiffly in a large fluffy chair, hands folded limply and eyes darting between the companion and the candle.

"Darn it, Serena!! Will you stop pacing already? You are beginning to give me a headache, what with you going back and forth in circles and the breeze you are creating causing the _only_ light we have to jump around like it's on fire!!" (2)

Serena halted mid-stride, then slowly turned on her heels to face her companion. In a calm voice that spoke of highly strained control, she replied softly,

"Mina-dear, I shall pace if I want to because it keeps me sane. It also prevents me from pulling my hair out, because if I go bald," she paused and leveled her gaze at Mina, "_your_ hair is the next item I'd be pulling out." Mina blanched. "Besides, the candle won't last for much longer and it'd really be better if we didn't have it lit in the first place. We should either be sleeping or planning, not doing nothing like this!"

Mina sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose she waved a hand towards Serena. "Well then, we'd best get some rest. We've both had a very long day, and we're bound to have another one tomorrow."

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Alright, I'm sorry this is so short but life and whatnots have gotten in the way. But it's here!! I'm already starting on the next chapter and I hope to have it up in a few days. I hope this keeps all of you occupied for a little while longer.

(1) Andrew's two sisters. Well, you remember when I said that Mina's parents were Serena's Godparents? That would technically make Serena Andrew's sister also, even though she's not blood related.

(2) Hehe, the candle and the fire bit. Sorry, I know it's a really bad pun/joke but I just couldn't resist putting it in there. It's my Mother's sense of humor popping up in my. : P


	9. Beta request

I am seriously looking for a beta-reader. I need someone who is willing to be critical of my writing in terms of grammar and content. If something should be added, changed, or taken out I need my beta to tell me so. And also I need someone who wouldn't mind bouncing ideas around with me and doesn't have a problem with nagging me to write.

I have part of the next chapter written but I need a beta to go over the last chapter (because I haven't actually finished it yet) and to please help with this new chapter (because it's being stubborn and doesn't want to be finished).

So please, would anyone be my beta? I'll even take more than one beta because I know life can get busy for everyone, especially with school starting soon.

Please please please?


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